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If you believe you (or someone you know or a pet) may have eaten a toxic mushroom, please seek medical attention immediately. There are experts that you or your doctor may consult to determine what was consumed and what treatment options are available.
NAMA Mushroom Poisoning Syndromes NAMA Volunteer Identification Consultants NAMA Poison Case Registry - Report a poisoning Facebook group: Poisons Help; Emergency Identification for Mushrooms & Plants Find your local poison control center: American Association of Poison Centers Control |
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Amanita Poisoning: Resources to help identify deadly amanitas
The fall/winter of 2025 has been an especially good year for Amanita phalloides (the death cap). A large number of poisonings and at least one death have occurred. The California Department of Public Health issued a bulletin advising the public to "avoid foraging for and eating wild mushrooms while risk of amatoxin poisoning is high."
The Mendocino Coast Mushroom Club does not support the position of avoiding foraging (as a blanket statement), but does encourage anyone foraging for mushrooms and other wild foods to educate themselves and have a high degree of confidence that the item is safe, before consuming any wild product. Many mushrooms are relatively easy to identify and don't have deadly lookalikes, but mushrooms of the genus Amanita are not easy to identify and making a mistake can be deadly. Additionally, unlike some Amanita species, the Death Cap cannot be made safe to eat by cooking, boiling, drying or freezing.
Amanitas are not the only mushrooms in California that foragers must familiarize themselves with that can cause a range of illness from gastrointestinal distress up to and including death.
For example, the deadly Galerina marginata (funeral bells) may be mistaken for Psilocybe (a spore print will differentiate between the two). There has also been a hospitalization, when someone consumed what may have been a red-tubed bolete (Rubroboletus sp.) collected in Albion.
If you are new to mushroom foraging, we recommend you avoid eating ALL Amanitas until you have developed your mushroom identification skills and resources and can have high confidence in your ability to properly identify these mushrooms.
When in doubt, key it out! Just because a mushroom looks similar to one that you may know from another region in the US or elsewhere in the world, doesn't mean it is the same. Learn from reputable sources - your local mushroom club, field guides and books local to your area, foraging experts, etc. Don't rely on apps or AI alone. If you're still in doubt, after doing your best to find a proper identification, throw it out! It's not worth risking your life for some unidentified mushroom.
The Mendocino Coast Mushroom Club does not support the position of avoiding foraging (as a blanket statement), but does encourage anyone foraging for mushrooms and other wild foods to educate themselves and have a high degree of confidence that the item is safe, before consuming any wild product. Many mushrooms are relatively easy to identify and don't have deadly lookalikes, but mushrooms of the genus Amanita are not easy to identify and making a mistake can be deadly. Additionally, unlike some Amanita species, the Death Cap cannot be made safe to eat by cooking, boiling, drying or freezing.
Amanitas are not the only mushrooms in California that foragers must familiarize themselves with that can cause a range of illness from gastrointestinal distress up to and including death.
For example, the deadly Galerina marginata (funeral bells) may be mistaken for Psilocybe (a spore print will differentiate between the two). There has also been a hospitalization, when someone consumed what may have been a red-tubed bolete (Rubroboletus sp.) collected in Albion.
If you are new to mushroom foraging, we recommend you avoid eating ALL Amanitas until you have developed your mushroom identification skills and resources and can have high confidence in your ability to properly identify these mushrooms.
When in doubt, key it out! Just because a mushroom looks similar to one that you may know from another region in the US or elsewhere in the world, doesn't mean it is the same. Learn from reputable sources - your local mushroom club, field guides and books local to your area, foraging experts, etc. Don't rely on apps or AI alone. If you're still in doubt, after doing your best to find a proper identification, throw it out! It's not worth risking your life for some unidentified mushroom.
